Between the Pages
by nomoreink
Summary: Previously titled "A Means to an End". A re-telling of the Strawhat adventures with some ZoNa thrown in. What started as a simple business proposition becomes much, much more as Zoro and Nami's feelings for each other start to develop.
1. The Proposition

**Chapter 1: The Proposition**

The rhythmic slosh of the waves against the ship's hull, the warmth of his bed, and the comfort of rest for his bandaged side created the perfect sleeping environment for Zoro. He had taken the first room he walked into on Buggy's ship - which the Strawhat pirates now called their own - and promptly collapsed on the bed, exhausted from his previous battle against Cabaji the Acrobat. When he entered, he did not look around to see what was in the room; but had he done so, he would have noticed the myriad of tops, wheels, and various other gadgets his defeated opponent was fond of using. But even if he had noticed these, it would have made no difference - all he needed was a bed and lots of sleep. But a good night's sleep was interrupted by a quiet but commanding whisper:

"Wake up."

Zoro stirred, grumbling, and turned away from his visitor. It took a moment for his half-asleep brain to register that he was not alone in his room. In a flash, he shot up, grabbed a katana from beside his bed and leapt onto the intruder, unsheathed his blade and pressed it against the intruder's throat. It was a response developed after many years of sleeping on the road, where he had been attacked and mugged many times initially. But this time, it wasn't a bandit pinned under him, against the ground. Instead, the brown eyes of his "temporary" crewmate stared back at him, shock and fear apparent.

"Don't do that," Zoro growled harshly, re-sheathing his katana. "I could've killed you."

"Yes," Nami said slowly, still recovering from her shock. "You could have." She was panting. Her heart was racing, the adrenalin pumping through her veins. "You're better than I thought. I figured you sleep like a dead man."

"If I did, I'd be one, by now. What do you want?"

By now Nami had calmed down significantly, and her more assertive personality took over. "How about you get off me, for starters?" She smiled playfully, a slight smirk that was only seen because of how close they were.

Obliging, Zoro got up, placed his katana back on the floor and sat on his bed. Nami followed suit, sitting next to him. It was only then that he realized what she was wearing - a silk nightgown, almost transparent, which barely covered her body much. Given that he was shirtless, and in long cotton trousers, he edged slightly away from her.

"What do you want?" he repeated, forcing himself to think of something other than her body.

Nami had noticed his eyes glancing up and down, but chose not to say anything about it. It was tempting - Nami found hard to resist teasing anybody, especially rigid men who were uncomfortable in such situations - but this was not the time. Business first, she reminded herself. Say what you came here to say. "I have a proposition," she said coolly. "But first, I want to ask you something."

"Go ahead."

"Why did you agree to join Luffy?"

"You mean, his crew?"

"Yes. Why did you become a pirate?"

It was a question he asked himself several times after he left Morgan's marine headquarters with Luffy. Yes, Luffy had saved him on the account that he'd join his crew, but Luffy was not the sort to force anyone into something against his will, if it really was against his will. Zoro had never found an answer. In part, it was because he felt he owed it to Luffy for saving his life, and while he was not the type to do much soul-searching, he was the type who stuck to his code of values unwaveringly. One value was never to shortchange anyone. However, it was more than that; it wasn't just a sense of duty and responsibility that compelled him to stay.

"It sounded like fun, I guess."

"Fun. Really. That's why you, Roronoah Zoro the pirate hunter, switched sides and became a pirate? What is this - 'If you can't beat them, join them'?" Her tone of voice had changed from fearful to playful, then to as though she was conducting an interview. Zoro didn't mind - it made no difference to him, how she spoke, only what she said.

"My dream," Zoro began indifferently, "is to be the best swordsman in the world. I don't care if I achieve that as a pirate or a pirate hunter, or a bloody marine."

"Then do it as a pirate hunter, not a pirate!"

"Why does it even matter to you? You're a pirate too, aren't you? You agreed to Luffy as well."

"I'm just working with you guys for now. A means to an end. I hate pirates."

"I don't." Nami was silent, contemplating her next line. Seizing the moment, Zoro continued before she could start, speaking sternly, as though issuing a warning, "Now get to the point. I want to sleep. What do you want?"

"I want you to leave with me."

"What?"

"I want you to leave this crew and join me." It wasn't a plea of desparation. It was a unemotional request, an idea formed using reason - a business proposition.

"Why would I do that?" Zoro scoffed.

"A means to an end," Nami repeated, "I need you for obvious reasons; I steal from pirates, you hunt pirates. We would make the perfect team. And you need me because you'd die without me. Neither you nor Luffy can cook. Neither of you know how anything about navigation. You have no sense of direction, you have no money, you're reckless - "

"That's enough," Zoro said abruptly. "Now's not the time for this."

Nami could tell that he was issuing a command. She paused, using the silence for effect, and then said, "Think about it. We have a few more days until the next island."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Zoro."

He watched her leave his room silently, her nightgown teasingly floating around her thighs, her waist swaying from side to side slightly. She made absolutely no sound - her footsteps and the opening and closing of his door were perfectly inaudible. It was no surprise that he had not heard her enter, then. Much like how his previous lifestyle had given him the skill of detection, hers had given her the skill of aversion - and she was clearly more skilled in her personal area.

Lying on his back, Zoro exhaled loudly. "What a bothersome woman," he muttered to himself. It was not so much her intrusion that bothered him, nor even her proposition. He was used to working with others, and even more used to disturbances at night. It was the fact that she had a point that bothered him. He didn't doubt Luffy's fighting prowess nor his leadership, but his common sense. In all his previous partnerships, Zoro had been the best fighter; his job was to fight, to win, and keep on winning. He and Luffy would be able to survive any battle, but would they survive what lay in between?

Zoro was not the sort to think of such things much. He shut off all thoughts, regulating his breathing and focusing on the multiple experiences of his different senses. He closed his eyes, feeling his body sink into the bed and the soreness of his wound, listening to the waves beating gently and slowly. As sleep was on the brink of overcoming him, Zoro suddenly caught a fleeting scent that he had not noticed earlier. He was half-asleep but awake enough to remember it the next day: the sweet smell of tangerines.

* * *

_Author's notes:_  
_I changed the actual storyline slightly, to make things smoother. For example, in the manga they actually have two ships at this point, Buggy's and someone else's (can't remember). I will probably alter other small details for story-telling purposes, but don't worry, I will leave the more important things untouched!_

_Anyway hope you enjoyed this, please review!_


	2. Waiting

**Chapter 2: Waiting**

"Zoro! Get your lazy ass out here now!" Nami yelled from the deck, once again ruining the swordsman's slumber. "I need your help here!"

Back in his room, Zoro growled to himself, tossing over in his bed. "Dammit, not again," he grumbled. He grabbed his pillow and used it to cover his head, refusing to get up. Not yet, he thought, I just need a few more minutes...

"Don't make me come down there!" Nami yelled again.

Zoro wasn't used to being shouted at. For most of his life, he had been regarded as a demon - a ruthless, dangerous bounty hunter. Those who recognized him were usually afraid to speak to him, let alone order him around. Nami, he had concluded, was either really daring or really stupid.

The door was flung open, and the orange-haired navigator stormed in. "Wake up!" she yelled again, grabbing his pillow and throwing it aside. She was no longer in her nightgown - Zoro stopped his imagination from taking the image too far, once again - and wore a blue t-shirt and brown, tight-fitting trousers. Even then, her clothes accentuated her curves.

Nami was aware of the way he was looking at her, but chose to take it as a compliment. "You can check me out up on deck. Get out of bed," she said, half playfully and half sternly. She tugged his arm, but he was too heavy for her to drag out of bed.

"Don't be so conceited," Zoro said gruffly, covering up the truth he was checking her out with his usual morning briskness. "What do you want this time?" He reluctantly got out of bed, and looked for something to wear. He had always travelled light and his previous battle had ruined one of his two shirts - the other one was somewhere in the room.

"I'll tell you later." Nami turned to leave, expecting him to follow, but noticed that he was still looking around the room. "What are you looking for? Hurry up!" she said, a tone of annoyance in her voice.

"A shirt. Get Luffy to help you instead."

"You're such an idiot, you know that?" she complained, turning back to face him. "I'll help you find one." She began searching Cabaji's chest of drawers. "And Luffy won't be able to help me with this. He's hopeless." She took out a plain white shirt from Cabaji's drawer and held it up for Zoro to see. "How's this?"

"No," Zoro said curtly. He crouched down to look under the bed, reached in, and pulled out a plain white shirt that looked very similar. "Nevermind. I found it."

"It's exactly the same!" Nami said, exasperated. "What's wrong with the one I found?"

"It's Cabaji's."

"It's just a t-shirt!"

Zoro didn't reply, putting on his shirt. He began to walk out of the room. Stopping at the door, he looked back at Nami and said, "Come on, let's get this over with." It was a brighter day than he had expected, so he squinted in the sunlight as he walked onto the deck.

Nami came out after him, and grabbed a fishing rod she had left resting against the wall, just next to the doorway. "Go fish. We need food," she instructed, handing him the rod. "Luffy ate most of our supplies last night, when you were asleep."

"Isn't there any food on this ship?"

"Those were our supplies. Now go." She pushed him towards the side of the ship, and he didn't resist, interestingly. "Today's weather should be good, so we need to capitalize on that," she added. Nami had always taken pride in her navigation and forecasting abilities; it was a talent she was born with, and she had never met anyone who was better than her. She had, however, met two men who she suspected were the worst navigators in the world - Zoro and Luffy.

"And why aren't you doing this?" Zoro said in an accusing tone. "It's not so hard."

"I'm making breakfast," Nami replied, "I want to eat real food so I'll do the cooking for now."

"Fine," Zoro grunted. He cast his line, and added, "Oi. Get me a chair."

"Only because you agreed." She got him a chair from one of the rooms, and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

Zoro yawned, sitting down on the chair. Fishing isn't too bad, he thought. At least I can sleep a little. He closed his eyes, leaned back, and tried to clear his mind of thoughts again. His wound was still hurting, so he needed to rest more than usual. Sleep was all he needed. It was the way he always done things; fight, get injured, sleep. Fight, get injured, sleep.

What about food? What about life outside fighting? A small voice said inside his head. But he had never worried about that, in the past. The bounties he collected usually lasted him until he collected the next one, and he wasn't particular about food. He stayed at inns sometimes, if not he slept on the road. He had survived so far, right?

His inner monologue was interrupted by Luffy bursting out onto the deck. "Eh, Zoro?" he said, "Why are you awake so early? Why are you fishing?" The pirate's innocent expression, the carefree look in his eyes, and his laidback demeanor was refreshing. "I want to try!" Luffy exclaimed, sounding very much like a child.

"Nami asked me to catch some fish for us to eat," Zoro explained, half complaining. He handed the rod to Luffy without a second thought - it was just fishing, after all. Luffy's grin grew wider, and he eagerly held onto the rod, waiting excitedly for a tug. "Oh yeah," Zoro added, "Nami's making breakfast right now."

"What do I do?" Luffy asked, ignoring his comment. Both hands gripped tightly on the fishing rod, he peered over the edge of the ship, looking into the water. "Nothing's happening."

"You just wait. A fish will come along eventually. You'll feel something tug at the rod and then you reel it in."

"Oh. That's boring."

"You volunteered," Zoro said, turning to leave. "I'll be back soon."

Feeling a bit hungry, he walked to the kitchen and demanded breakfast. "What's taking you?" he asked as he opened the door. Nami was seated at the table, sipping a cup of coffee as she read the newspaper. She looked up at him, and her expression changed from one of peace to one of annoyance.

"What are you doing here? I told you to fish!" she started, putting her cup down and standing up. She shot him an angry look.

"Luffy wanted a go. I'm here for food," Zoro said, shrugging. "What's taking so long?"

"The eggs aren't ready. Are you sure Luffy will be fine?"

Zoro rolled his eyes. "Look," he said, sighing, "Luffy's not such a dumbass. He can handle a fishing rod. I sailed on a raft with him for a while before we got separated, and he met you."

"Fine, maybe I'm being too harsh on him," Nami said, sitting back down.

"Yeah," Zoro said nonchalantly, looking around the kitchen for something to eat. He settled for a tin of biscuits on the table, taking the seat across Nami.

"How long have you known Luffy, actually?" she said absent-mindedly, without looking up. She was still reading the newspaper and was just making conversation.

"About two weeks? Not so sure."

"You barely know the guy and you agreed to join his crew?"

"That's basically what you asked me to do last night, but with you instead."

Nami chose to ignore him at first, remaining silent. Zoro didn't care, and took another biscuit out of the box to eat as Nami continued reading the newspaper. After a while, she finally spoke, saying, "Have you thought about it?"

Zoro swallowed down the food in his mouth. "No," he lied. He left it at that, indicating his preference not to talk about it. He half-expected Nami to ignore this and continue talking, but surprisingly, she didn't. In fact, she didn't even look up from the newspaper. Zoro glanced at her - she had a troubled look on her face, brows furrowed. Her mind was obviously racing, and she was caught in her thoughts. He took it as his cue to leave. He took another biscuit, placed the box back where he took it, and left the room. Again, Nami's silence - there was no "Wait!" - was surprising. Was she actually giving him time to think?

Luffy's entire posture revealed his boredom, in particular the look on his face. Zoro took the fishing rod from him, much to Luffy's relief, and sat down. Almost immediately, the captain's energy returned, and his dopey grin spread across his face. Zoro yawned lazily, leaning back in the chair, and entered a state of half-sleep as Luffy basked in his happiness and the sunlight behind him, seemingly content with the silence. It was obvious that Luffy enjoyed being at sea; it suited his carefree nature.

Nami came out from the kitchen with a plate of food, and handed it to Zoro, kicking Luffy aside in the process. "We'll eat inside!" she scolded, dragging their captain into the kitchen by the ear while he yelped in pain. Once again, Zoro was alone. He had to eat using one hand, as opposed to using the cutlery Nami had given him, because he had to hold the fishing rod. "Stupid woman..." he grumbled. Her cooking wasn't too bad though, he had to admit. Certainly better than anything he had ever cooked in his life.

He was relatively undisturbed for the rest of the day. Luffy would come up to him occasionally to talk, but most of the time he would entertain himself, somehow, somewhere else on deck. Nami spent the day in her room, coming out only to cook meals. As the day passed by, Zoro decided not to grumble about fishing anymore; she could've made him do something even more troublesome. He had caught a few fish, enough for another meal or two. At meal times, Nami would give him a plate of food and walk off, back to the kitchen to eat with Luffy.

Finally, about an hour after dinner, Nami spoke to Zoro again. "You can stop fishing now," she said from behind him. He looked over his shoulder sleepily, raising an eyebrow. She looked stressed out. Was she feeling guilty, maybe, for thinking about leaving Luffy?

"At last!" Zoro said with a sigh of relief, choosing to ignore her pained expression. "About time." He drew in the line and handed the rod to her. Stretching lazily, he started to walk towards the cabins. Nami remained where she was, only putting the fishing rod down on the floor. Whatever she's thinking about, it's not good, Zoro thought to himself. He was trying to ignore it, but eventually gave in and said, "Oi, what's wrong?"

Nami could tell from his tone of voice that he was annoyed at himself for asking. She closed her eyes, calmed her mind, and said, coolly, "Nothing. I'm alright. Just worried about food and money." A cheeky grin spread across her face, almost involuntarily. She was so used to putting up pretences that it had become second nature.

"Oh, alright then," Zoro replied, walking off. He wasn't entirely convinced, but he had never understood women and probably never would. It was much easier, in his opinion, to let them settle their own problems, especially emotional ones. He returned to his room to check on his swords, his greatest treasures. As expected, they were where he had left them, untouched.

His swords represented his livelihood. His dream, his means of survival, his accomplishments and his failures, were all related to swords - particularly Wado Ichimonji, the blade he had inherited from Kuina and the one he kept throughout the years. Zoro had led the life of a vagabond up until now, wandering around, picking fights and women as he pleased. He did work with others now and then, and did consider sticking out with fellow swordsmen once - a pair of bounty hunters called Johnny and Yosaku - but in the end he liked his solitariness. No responsibilities, no alliegances but to himself and Wado Ichimonji, his one true companion.

Why, then, did he agree to Luffy's offer? And more importantly, why was he now contemplating Nami's?

Back on the deck, Nami was leaning against the ship rail, looking out to sea. The sky was still clear; it would be another peaceful night. She closed her eyes, letting the sound of the waves wash over her, almost feeling the cool sensation of water on her skin. The sea had always helped her relax, and it was relaxation that she desperately needed right now. The irony was painful, though. Her sole source of comfort was also her tormentor - the sound of the sea soothed her, but the distance it posed, the barrier it created, prevented her from going any faster than it allowed. The ocean set the boundaries, and once one boarded a ship, she had to obey.

Two more days, she told herself, and then we'll reach the next island. You'll just have to wait until then.

She walked back towards the cabins, leaving the door to the main deck swinging behind her as she went in as though to emphasize the fact that she was retiring to bed, although nobody would notice. As she walked down the corridor with her trademark silence, she forced herself to let go of her troubles. This was not the time, and it was no use to anyone, too, for her to give in. But it had been so long, and she... Luffy's loud snores broke her train of thought, as she passed by his door. He was sleeping peacefully, without a care in the world. She envied his carefree nature, his ever-positive disposition. He definitely wouldn't understand anything.

Diagonally across from Luffy's cabin was Zoro's. He was silent, but whether he was sleeping or not, she could not tell. She stopped, and turned to face his door, her hand automatically reaching for the doorknob. She felt her heart pound inside her - adrenaline? The previous night's encounter was still etched clearly in her mind, and this was her body's response. It was a welcome reminder; she prepared herself to leap aside in case the swordsman lunged out as she opened the door.

It was partly her curiosity, and partly her desperation, that compelled her to turn the doorknob. She wanted to see what Zoro was up to - sleeping again, after a whole day of fishing lazily? Or maybe he was working out? His chiseled body was the product of hard work; it was hard not to notice. But another part of her wanted to see him for less shallow reasons. Zoro was a serious, no-nonsense person; he was strong, resolute, unwavering. These were traits he shared with Luffy, but Zoro also had one more defining characteristic - he understood pain. Luffy's strength was his curse; never before had he been helpless, never before had he been required to just wait in fear. Zoro would understand what she was going through. He would know what to do, how to fix it.

She opened the door silently, and peeked in. Zoro was seated cross-legged on the floor, his back facing her, swords laid out in front of him. He didn't move, meaning he hadn't noticed that she had opened the door. He looked extremely focused - was he meditating, maybe? Or had he simply fallen asleep? Nami opened her move to call out to him quietly, but stopped herself at the last moment. Her urge to speak was a moment of weakness, the result of a build-up of emotions – she saw this clearly now. What she was going to talk about, was nobody's business but her own. It was her choice to leave, and thus her current helplessness was her burden to bear.

Zoro didn't need to know. And besides, knowing him, he probably wouldn't care, either.

* * *

_Author's notes:  
This chapter's a big longer than the previous one, mainly because the first was meant to be more of a prologue. Nonetheless I'm aiming to stick to around this many words per chapter - what do you think? Too long? Too short?_

_Thanks for the reviews, you guys! And a special thank you to fmdevil for pointing out my mistake in Chapter 1. I'll change it when I have the time. Feedback is always welcome. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review! _


	3. Debts

**Chapter 3: Debts**

Nami woke up early by habit, but today it required an extra amount of effort to drag herself out of bed. She had spent most of the previous night tossing and turning, unable to calm her thoughts the way the ocean had calmed its waves. Yet, she forced herself to sit up, and slapped herself softly a few times in an attempt to awaken herself. Her silk nightgown hung loosely from her shoulders, almost falling off. She stood up and pushed either strap off, letting the nightgown fall off her body, relishing the sensation of soft silk sliding over her bare skin.

She rummaged through her bags to find a towel, wrapped it around her body, and walked out of her room towards the showers. Morning showers were a luxury she could enjoy on a ship with two men who enjoyed their sleep, as their slumber allowed her to take her time. Buggy's ship was surprisingly well-equipped with a full shower, something she found surprising, given the pirate's grimy appearance.

The warm water was refreshing, and she closed her eyes to focus and sighed with content as the water flowed down her body. After a relatively sleepless night, a nice relaxing shower felt exceptionally good, and her fatigue washed over her. It was clearly going to be a long day, but she would get through. Her tiredness meant that Luffy and Zoro would get a day off from her scolding, as she really couldn't muster up the energy to do so.

She had made it a point not to grow to close to those two, mainly due to them being pirates. She had witnessed firsthand how they had helped a village instead of destroyed one, but after years of meeting - and stealing from - pirate after pirate, she had decided that anyone who chose that way of life could not be trusted, so long as they stuck to it. The concept of "freedom", that a pirate should be free to do what he wished, was what cost her mother her life. Freedom, she had long concluded, was selfish.

She turned the shower off once she had finished, and dried her body quickly with her towel. Her hair was still dripping, but she felt it was better to let it stay wet for a bit, until she returned to her room. Wrapping her body up with the towel once again, she glanced at herself in the mirror to make sure she looked alright, and stepped out of the bathroom, and was greeted by the sleepy-eyed, green-haired face of Roronoa Zoro.

"What are you doing, you pervert!" Nami cried out, leaping back behind the door.

"Gotta brush my teeth," Zoro answered coolly. He had caught a glimpse of Nami's near-naked body, but chose to hide his enjoyment of the sight behind the pretence of a morning daze. "Isn't that what people always do in the morning? Idiot."

"You're the idiot! You don't just wait outside the bathroom while a woman is showering inside!"

Zoro remained unfazed and simply leaned back against the corridor wall, still facing the bathroom door. "Hurry up then, get going," he said casually. A mischievous smirk broke through his mask of sleepiness, but Nami missed it. Zoro closed his eyes, adding, "I won't peek."

"You better not!" Nami growled, stepping out from behind the door. She stared at Zoro's expressionless face, partly because she didn't believe he wouldn't peek. In small, quiet steps, she walked passed him, all the while watching his facial expression. His eyelids didn't move.

"Oi, you gone yet?" he said impatiently.

A wicked thought crossed Nami's mind. She stopped walking once she was about a metre to his left, and said, "Yeah, you can open your eyes now." The swordsman obeyed, and his gaze fell upon her immediately. Nami unwrapped her towel quickly, revealing her body. She saw his eyes widen and his lips curl into a quickly-repressed smirk, and then re-wrapped the towel around her body quickly. "That'll be 100 0000 beri," Nami said, grinning mischievously.

"What?" Zoro exclaimed, "You flashed me, you can't expect me to -"

"Or you can just accept my offer. I'll cancel your debt if you do," Nami interjected. Zoro wasn't sure if she was serious or not; it was impossible to tell from her tone of voice.

Grumbling to himself, the swordsman ignored her comment and walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Nami chuckled to herself and returned to her room to change. She was impressed. If it were another man, she would feel insulted - a refusal to peek would be the same as telling her she wasn't attractive enough - but with Zoro she felt it was more a case of him sticking to his word. His straying gaze was more than enough proof that he found her attractive; the fact that he would force himself not to look was a show of his willpower.

Inside the bathroom, Zoro pushed any thoughts about the encounter out of his mind, as was his habit when it came to anything of the sort. He didn't like to dwell on things, preferring quick solutions and logical, rather than emotional, decisions. He splashed some water on his face and proceeded to brush his teeth, shaking his head to show - to nobody - his disapproval of their exchange.

"What a troublesome woman," Zoro muttered as he exited the bathroom. A loud rumble came from above the ship - a thunderstorm was fast approaching. So much for his workout routine; Zoro had woken up early so that he could begin his training as soon as possible. It was a regime he stuck to fervently, except for when he needed extra sleep to heal from battle wounds. His fight with the Buggy pirates only warranted one sleep-in.

The rain, however, meant that he could not train up on the deck, which limited him to only press-ups and sit-ups, to be done in his room. Those were usually his warm-ups, the bulk of his training involving running or practicing sword techniques. Both required a good deal of space, which the ship was already short of. With a disappointed sigh, Zoro walked back to his room, pulled off his t-shirt and let his body fall forwards, catching himself at the last minute by extending his arms in front of him and letting his body fall into a press-up position. He carried on from that, silent aside from the occasional grunt of effort.

There was a knock on his door, and someone entered without waiting for his answer. He didn't need to look to know it was Nami, and so he continued doing press-ups, ignoring her entrance. She walked over to his bed and sat down. "Oolala," she said in a mock husky voice. "So this is what you got up to do."

"What do you want?" Zoro grunted, forcing himself to focus on his training rather than his attractive guest.

"You know what I want..." Nami began suggestively. She lay down on his bed, stretching out. Grinning to herself - it was obvious that Zoro wouldn't see her smile - she added, "100 0000 beri!"

"Go make breakfast."

"What am I, your maid?" Nami cried out, sitting back up. "I won't cook until Luffy gets up! Idiot!"

"Fine." Zoro decided not to carry on the argument, because it wasted his energy. Instead he switched to sit-ups, giving his arms a break. Nami remained silent and seated on his bed, resting her arms on her knees and her head on her hands, watching him. Zoro did not mind. He ignored it, like he always did when people watched him. He did, however, glance at Nami when he switched exercises. She was wearing a grey tank top and a black mini-skirt. He turned his head slightly to face away from his crewmate in an attempt to reduce the temptation to peek up between her legs.

Nami resisted her urge to chuckle when she noticed him turn away slightly. She was impressed once again. Zoro not only kept his word, but kept his focus as well. Clearly, he had set his mind on becoming the best swordsman in the world, and tried his best to avoid distractions. On the other hand, she gladly welcomed this distraction - his body was unbelievably well-toned and cut, and she did not hide her enjoyment of the sight, unlike what he had done earlier.

She let him carry on for a few more minutes, enjoying the opportunity to check out his abs, chest and back, depending on whether he was doing press-ups or sit-ups. She grew bored quickly, though. Zoro's indifference to almost everything was dull. She had hoped for a more interesting encounter.

Almost on cue, Zoro stopped and sat on the floor, cross-legged. He looked up at her, his eyes scanning her body starting from her legs and settling at her face, exhaled

loudly and said, "Luffy's a good guy, y'know."

"Oh, so you have been thinking about it," Nami teased. Her grin greatly contrasted the serious expression on his face.

"Why do you hate him so much?"

"I don't. Not him in particular. I hate pirates." Nami's smile vanished, replaced by a calm, unfeeling look.

"I'm a pirate. Do you hate me?"

"You're just a misguided pirate hunter. I'll give you a second chance. You don't care about a pirate's lifestyle, you just want to fight."

"And what if you're wrong?"

"I'm not." She spoke with an air of certainty, bordering on the edge of arrogance.

This prompted Zoro to laugh, albeit a quiet and low laugh. It was almost like a snigger. The swordsman didn't reply. She was right, in a way. He didn't care much about freedom, at least not in the same way Luffy did. He only cared about strength. He and Luffy worked so well together because their ambitions made the same people their enemies - those stronger than themselves. Luffy fought to rise above these people. Zoro fought to crush these people under himself.

"Once we reach the next island," Nami continued, "I'm going to leave, with or without you. I was going to give you more time than that but... the situation's changed."

"Where are you in such a rush to get to?"

"Home."

Zoro burst out laughing. Nami didn't seem the sort to want to go home, at all. She made a living seducing and stealing from men; not exactly the stereotypical homely girl. "Yeah right, home?" he said, stifling his laughter. He looked up and realized that Nami's expression hadn't changed at all, and was still as serious as before, and promptly stopped laughing. He closed his eyes and gave himself a moment to regain composure. "Why the rush, then?" he said, his face returning to its somber look.

Half of Nami wanted to slap him in the face and storm off, but the other half kept her from doing it. Zoro didn't know a thing. He wasn't Luffy, but he was still a man - fairly oblivious. She restrained herself, forcing herself to remain seated, and replied, as calmly as possible, "My sister's done something very stupid." Zoro decided not to inquire further, sensing that it was a touchy subject. There was a period of grim silence as the two sat looking at each other, yet caught in their own thoughts. Finally, Zoro broke the silence by saying, "And Luffy can't help?"

"I don't want his help." Nami's answer was grave and firm. Her emotional strength had been chipped away at, slowly, from the start of the topic; just a bit more and she would probably break down. Exhaling softly, she gave herself a mental slap on the back and told herself to hold it together.

"And you want mine?"

After a moment of contemplation, Nami sighed and said, "Yes. I do."

"Why would I do that?" Zoro asked, in complete seriousness. His conversations with Nami about working together thus far all had a business feel to them; they were business propositions. He intended to keep it that way.

Nami was more than ready to answer. She was the one who made the offer; she had already thought of various points to raise to convince him. "You're proud of your Santoryu sword style, are you not?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Follow me, and you'll get to fight a Rokutoryu swordsman."

"No man can hold six swords," Zoro rebuked, scoffing. "Don't take me for an id -"

"He's a fishman. Twice the number of swords, more than twice your strength."

Zoro fell silent. Nami watched his facial expression closely. She could read what was going on in his mind; his devilish smirk, which he tried to repress, showed that he liked the challenge. His furrowed brows revealed his inner conflict - a part of him still refused to leave Luffy. Most startling were his eyes - his gaze was fierce and intense; it gave that impression that he would stick to whatever he decided on in the end, without worry or regret.

The thief stood up and walked towards Zoro's door slowly and deliberately, while her crewmate remained motionless, debating with himself in his mind. She paused at the doorway, placed one hand on his doorknob, to give him a chance to speak again. When no answer came, she smiled to herself and left the room. Zoro remained in the same position for a while, his mind racing. A fishman who wielded six swords! The challenge was hard to resist - it was as if it called out to him.

Yet, he got not bring himself to leave Luffy. Zoro had agreed to join the pirate's crew, and he sought never to go back on his word; it was a code he had adopted a long time ago, and which he intended to adhere to for the rest of his life. Promises were what kept him going; in a sense, it was as though his binding - his very lack of freedom - gave him the urge to go on. Even his dream, the highest purpose of his life, to become the great swordsman, originated from a promise made to a childhood friend, a promise he intended to honour or die trying. It was a debt that needed to be paid.

It was only then that Zoro really realized how his values contrasted with Luffy's. His captain championed complete liberation - the importance of free will, of being able to do what one wished. In other words, Zoro was living the kind of life Luffy wished to eradicate, one riddled with promises and debts. He had never been the philosophical sort, and thus pushed this thought aside.

Zoro resumed his exercise routine, and started doing press-ups again. The workout helped to clear his mind. It did not make him see clearer as much as it made him forget. A part of him, though, would not be silenced; it was a small nagging voice, telling him that he was merely avoiding a decision. His frustration at his inability to quiet this voice lead to more intense motions, as he pushed his body harder and harder, using it as fuel.

Suddenly, Zoro stopped his press-ups and got up to his feet. He left his room in a hurry, without putting on a shirt, and walked hurriedly down the corridor, as though time would make a big difference. He passed by Luffy's quarters - the captain was still fast asleep, and snoring loudly - and a few empty rooms before stopping in front of Nami's room. He closed his eyes and breathed out. He knocked twice, and then turned the doorknob.

"Oi, Nami..."

* * *

_Author's Notes:  
Thanks everyone who has been reviewing this so far. Your input is greatly appreciated, really. Very nice to know that someone is reading this, haha! If you spot any mistakes in my story, please let me know. I'll try to fix it right away. _

_Hope you enjoyed the latest chapter, everyone. Please read and review! _


	4. Overboard

**Chapter 4: Overboard**

"Oi, Nami..." Zoro began, opening his crewmate's door. He stopped short upon realizing that the room was empty; it was obvious that this was Nami's room - Buggy's belongings had all been thrown into one corner and a variety of women's clothes had been laid out on the bed, left behind from what was probably Nami's daily routine of picking what to wear - but she was nowhere to be found. A thought entered Zoro's mind, and he scoffed at himself. "A moment of weakness," he muttered. "Why the hell were you thinking of saying something like that?"

He turned and left the room, closing the door behind him. Making his way back to his room, he noted that Luffy's snoring had stopped, but couldn't tell if the captain had awoken or not. He stopped himself from dwelling on the subject of Luffy any longer, pushing all thoughts aside and refocusing his mind on his training. Be the greatest swordsman, he kept telling himself. Nothing else matters.

A loud clap of thunder interupted his thoughts, followed by the door leading outside being thrown open as a drenched Nami ran in. "Good, you're here, follow me!" she shouted, turning around and returning outside without waiting for him to answer. She had left the door open, so Zoro could see the dark sky looming overhead and the equally fearsome ocean.

Instinctively, he followed immediately, making sure to close the door behind him so as not to let any more water in. Zoro scolded himself mentally for not having noticed earlier; true, a combination of his training regiment and Nami had distracted him, but he refused to acknowledge that as a proper reason. He hurried to Nami, who was busy securing the mast, masterfully tying the knots.

"Get to the wheel, keep the boat steady for now!" she screamed, her voice barely audible above the roar of the storm. "I need to handle this first!"

Zoro nodded and ran to the helm, doing as he was told. It was a matter of seconds before he was soaked, just like Nami. Again, he scolded himself for failing to assess the storm's intensity, but he also realized that, Buggy being a Devil Fruit user, the ship would have been made using stronger materials, resulting in tougher - and more sound-proof - cabin walls.

There was another crash of thunder, followed by a series of wild waves washing over the deck. Zoro glanced behind himself, back to where Nami had previously been, and realized that she was nowhere to be found. Had she been swept off the deck? A strange sensation - panic? No, worry, of some sort - overcame him, but he shrugged it off, choosing instead to focus on the task at hand. Just as he was about to turn back, he heard the door slam open, and caught sight of his crewmate's orange hair poking out from the corridor, followed by her slender body, accentuated by her now figure-clinging clothes, as she ran out.

Zoro opened his mouth to call out, but just then another wave crashed onto the deck and, since he was distracted, caused him to fall to the ground. He slammed chest-first into the wooden floorboard, and felt himself sliding towards the edge of the ship. He had turned in midair to protect his face, so thankfully he hadn't been knocked out by the sudden fall. Partially disoriented, he struggled as he got up, the task made harder by the swinging of the ship and the slippery floor. He saw Nami running up the stairs to join him at the helm, and then - too late! - yet another wave leapt towards him, hitting him squarely in the chest. He tried his best not to fall down again, stumbling backwards, before he felt the ship rail at his back, his feet slip forward from under him, and the downwards motion of his body as he tumbled into the sea.

He flailed about desparately, trying to keep his head above the water. The heavy rain and tumultous sea made it very hard, but Zoro managed, albeit with difficulty. He kept his gaze fixed on the ship rail, waiting for Nami to throw a buoy overboard, or at least something for him to hold, all the while swimming closer to the ship so she would not need to throw it far. As he was approached he saw a wave rise from behind her and slam her into the rail, her head hitting the rail with a clang. The buoy fell into the sea, a short distance from her, followed by her limp body.

"Dammit!" he cursed, swimming towards her. He dove underwater and put an arm around his crewmate's waist, then swam towards the surface, gasping from air as he emerged. Making his way towards the buoy, he looked at Nami to make sure she was okay - he was no expert, but she didn't seem to be in grave danger. He sighed in relief.

With one arm around her and the other clinging to the buoy, Zoro called out for Luffy, hoping that the captain would have woken up by then. If he was still inside, the likelihood of him hearing Zoro were practically zero; but surely, he was not that sound a sleeper? Were Buggy's walls that thick? "Come on, Luffy..." Zoro muttered to himself, having given up. He pulled Nami closer to himself in an attempt to heat up her body using his own.

A figure - Luffy - appeared up on deck, looking somewhat confused. Zoro called out again, louder this time, and the captain turned to them. Luffy's usual goofy grin was absent, replaced by a serious, grim look, which Zoro had only seen twice so far - once against Captain Morgan and again when they met Buggy. He had concluded that it was Luffy's "game face", a show of his determination to achieve an objective. Zoro never needed any comfort but it was nonetheless reassuring to see that look on Luffy's face as he stretched his rubber arms out towards them, grabbing Zoro by shoulders and hauling him back on board. Zoro hugged Nami tightly to prevent her from slipping out of his grasp, curling his legs around her as an extra measure.

"We need to get inside," Zoro said immediately when Luffy put him down. "And get this idiot dry."

Zoro carried Nami in his arms as he followed his captain down the cabin alley and into Nami's room. It was only when he saw the clothes on the bed that he remembered he was shirtless; somehow the cold had not gotten to him. Luffy had already brushed the clothes off the bed and was motioning for Zoro to lay Nami down, but the swordsman stopped and said, "Towels. We need two."

"I don't know where the towels are..." Luffy replied meekly. This would've made Zoro laugh if not for the situation.

"My room. Cupboard. I think there's one there. Nami has to have at least one somewhere here." Luffy was already halfway out the door before Zoro finished, so he scanned the room for anywhere his female crewmate would've kept her towels. Laying her down on the bed, he opened the cupboard - nothing - and then the chest of drawers; there was a pile in the bottom drawer, so he grabbed one and began to dry Nami off with it, trying but failing not to enjoy, mildly, running his hands, albeit above her clothes and a towel, all over her body, to places she would hit him for touching if she were conscious.

He contemplated whether or not to strip her, given that her clothes were soaked and would require much more than a towelling down to dry. It was important for her to be dry, right? So as not to catch any chills. The mischievous, dirty part of his mind also supported this course of action, and he proceeded to take her top off, followed by the rest of her clothing. He forced himself not to dwell on any thoughts about her body, turning his head slightly in an attempt to see as little as possible. He quickly wrapped Nami up in a second towel and put her under the covers.

It was then that Luffy returned with another towel, which Zoro took and used to dry himself. Luffy himself was soaked, despite how short a period he had been out on deck, showing how strong it was raining. "Thanks," Zoro said simply. He knew Luffy understood that it was for both the towel and pulling him out of the ocean.

"Nami woke me up and told me to follow her out," Luffy replied, a smile slowly creeping back onto his face. "But I didn't see either of you when I got out."

"Yeah, bloody waves swept us both off."

"Wow. I would've died if that were me."

"Nami hit her head on the rail when she was pushed off. I think it's a concussion. Shouldn't be anything serious."

Luffy nodded silently. Zoro wasn't a medical expert or anything, but he was pretty sure of his diagnosis. Luffy's lack of a reply was very ambiguous; did it mean he understood perfectly, or that he didn't understand at all? Zoro couldn't tell. "I'm hungry," Luffy said suddenly. He didn't sound joyful, nor worried - just sincere. It was as if he knew everything was going to be alright, and that he could move on to other matters.

"Well you know where the kitchen is."

Luffy left the room, closing the door behind him. Exhaling loudly, Zoro leaned back against the cabin wall and slowly slid down until he was seated on the floor. He looked at Nami, wrapped up in a towel and Buggy's thick blanket, but naked underneath. How long had it been since he had had a woman? He had always been caught up in his training, something he refused to spend less time doing. There were nights where, after a big earning from a large bounty, he had gotten drunk and "one thing lead to another", as people always said, but aside from that he had almost nothing to do with women.

He began to chuckle, softly. Perhaps the last important female in his life was Kuina, which said a lot about his social life after her death. After all, she was the one who had given him his goal, she was the one who drove him, spurred him onwards. His thoughts about her were not so much about admiration than respect, not so much about love than loyalty; she was his driving force because he had never been able to beat her, and now never would, and this made her the one peak he could never conquer. Due to this, he had to, he just had to, conquer every other.

Sighing softly, Zoro allowed his eyelids to fall and let exhaustion overcome him for a moment. He was a fairly good swimmer but water really wasn't his element. Somehow it felt like a long time ago that he had disrupted his training routine to come to this very room to speak to this very woman. He had definitely gotten a lot more than expected when he walked out of his room door. In a way though, it was good that things turned out this way - if Nami had been in her room when he first knocked, he would've said his piece and it might've made things complicated. Now he had time to think over it properly.

He thought about what Nami had said in his room earlier that morning. Why did she want to go return home so badly? Why was she so worried about her sister? What had she done? It was then that he realized that she must've found out about her sister recently, and that meant Nami had read it in the newspaper. It would explain her troubled expression the other day in the kitchen, and the severity - it was big enough for the newspaper to report - of whatever her sister had done. A part of him wanted to go get that day's paper, if it was still around, and read through, but another part scoffed at the idea, saying that that would just be going overboard. Zoro chose to stick with the latter half.

In any case, a man she deemed a full-fledged pirate had now rescued her, so surely that would make her accept Luffy's help more easily. It would solve Zoro's dilemma immediately; he wouldn't go back on his word with Luffy, and would be able to help Nami out. The three of them would continue the journey together. Yet somehow, even that didn't feel as appealing as he thought it would, but he couldn't figure out what the problem was; and like he always did for any emotion he couldn't pin down, Zoro pushed this one to the back of his mind. With his eyes still closed, and his mind too tired and pre-occupied to register the soft sounds coming from the bed, Zoro hadn't realized that his orange-haired crewmate had awoken, and was now looking at him intently, half-assured and half-confused by his presence.

On cue, Zoro opened his eyes and caught her gaze immediately. It was a strange moment - his tired but strong stare, his face a stony seriousness, meeting her soft yet lively gaze, her face a picture of calm. The room was dimly lit but it was just enough for them to look into each other's eyes, that one moment before they turned away feeling more like an eternity but still inadequate in some way. An involuntary sigh of relief escaped Zoro's mouth, and although he maintained his stoic expression, his stare softened at the sight of Nami's lips curling, at the corners, into a slight smile.

* * *

_Author's notes:  
__Sorry for the incredibly late update, everyone. I was having trouble deciding how to proceed with the story (the downside of a lack of planning), but that's settled now! I do have a test coming up soon, but nonetheless should be update more quickly now._

_Hope you enjoyed this (very very late) chapter. Please review!_


	5. Switching Sides

**Chapter 5: Switching Sides**

It was an odd reversal from two nights ago, with Nami the one in bed and Zoro the intruder. The thought, triggered by the sight of him sitting on the floor, much like she had that night, made her smile. He was sitting near the door, leaning back against the wall, while she was curled up comfortably in her blanket, which felt quite nice and soft and -

"Where the hell are my clothes?" Nami burst out upon realizing her current state of undress. She noticed that Zoro didn't even flinch - she took this as a sign that his conscience was clear - at her sharp outburst.

Zoro ignored her question. "You feeling okay?" he asked instead. Nami couldn't tell if he was asking out of genuine concern or because he wanted to change the topic - his tone of voice suggested the former, but it also seemed equally likely that he was just hiding something. Yes, Zoro seemed like a good person, but then again, she had only known him for a short period of time.

"Y-yeah, I guess..." Nami replied, her brows furrowing as she tried to figure out what she was doing in bed. "What... happened?"

"We were up on deck trying to keep the ship steady. You were swept up by a wave, hit the rail and fell overboard. You don't remember?"

"No, not really..." Nami said absent-mindedly, her mind still caught up with piecing together the bits of memory she had.

"Must be the concussion. It'll come back to you eventually."

Silence returned as Nami, now sitting up with the covers clutched tightly to her chest, sorted through her broken memories and Zoro, half due to fatigue and half because he could not be bothered to explain any further, sat slumped against the wall, resting. He had never gotten a concussion before but had seen it happen to Johnny, once. The slight memory loss was only temporary.

"I guess... I should thank you, then," Nami said softly, breaking the silence. Zoro opened his eyes sleepily, catching the surprisingly sincere gaze of the thief.

"Thank me? What for?"

"Saving me? Since I was knocked out and fell into the sea, and obviously you were soaked earlier, so I figured that..."

"Oh. Well, actually -"

"I'm back!" shouted Luffy, bursting into the room. Zoro quickly leapt aside as the door swung open, slamming into the wall where he had just been resting against.

"Oi! Watch it!" Zoro barked.

Luffy ignored the swordsman entirely, turning to his navigator, saying, "Nami, you're up! Good, I'm really hungy and I need you to help me cook some food. I want -"

This time it was Nami's time to scold the captain. "Who do you think I am, your maid? I just fell into the sea and you want me to cook?"

"What else are you supposed to do," Zoro muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes.

"What did you say?" Nami snapped, her ears surprisingly receptive. "My job is to make sure you idiots don't get lost and starve in the middle of the ocean! I'm the naviga-" She stopped abruptly, eyes wide in realization. "Oh no," she said, her mood suddenly changing from annoyed to worried. "Both of you, out of my room, now. I need to change."

The two men, still confused as to what was going on, looked at each other blankly and promptly did as they were told. "C'mon, get outta here!" Nami nagged, wrapping her blanket round her body as she got off the bed. Zoro shut the door behind him as she walked to one of the cupboards, presumably where she kept her clothes.

"What was that all about?" he asked his captain outside the room. Luffy shrugged, equally lost. The two remained silent, waiting for Nami to call them back in. They heard Nami rummaging through something - Zoro pictured an open drawer in his mind, filled with an assortment of clothes and other useless female belongings - but the call never came.

Finally, Zoro spoke again. "Hey, Luffy, listen. Nami's..." he started, before he was interrupted by a thud from inside the room, as though Nami had just collapsed onto the wooden floorboards. Spinning around, Zoro opened the door quickly and said, half with concern and half with his usual annoyance, "Oi, you alright?"

Nami was on the floor, kneeling down over a medium-sized piece of parchment. Her hands pressed down on either side of the parchment, as though to prevent them from curling back up. The thud, Zoro realized, was not her collapsing out of fatigue but rather her placing the sheet down on the ground hurriedly. She was dressed casually in a black t-shirt and shorts. She turned to him, one eyebrow raised, and said, "Yeah, what? I'm busy here."

Zoro took a closer look and realized that the piece of paper on the ground was a map. "Thought you collapsed or something," he explained as he closed the door.

"Actually, wait," Nami interjected, and Zoro stopped, the door slightly ajar. "Come here for a moment, will you? I need your help." She spoke in a serious tone, with the manner of someone at work discussing a collaborative project. Zoro did as he was told, closing the door gently behind him - in his confusion and focus on Nami's request, he did not realize that he had, in fact, just left Luffy standing alone outside - and walked over to the navigator.

"Hold these two ends for me please," Nami said, nodding towards her two hands in succession. Zoro placed his hands where she had placed hers, and Nami got up and walked over to the table. "The storm has probably taken us off course a bit," she explained as she walked back with a pencil in hand. "I'm trying to figure out, roughly, where we're heading now, given the direction of the wind and where the waves will probably push us towards."

Zoro didn't say it aloud, but he was impressed. He knew Nami was a good navigator, but she really seemed to know her stuff, and also seemed to be dedicated to what her job was supposed to be. He watched her as she drew a dotted line from the town they had fought Buggy to a spot in the largely blank middle portion of the map, which he presumed was where she thought they were, or at least were supposed to be.

"This is a portion of the East Blue map I made. Not entirely accurate but it'll be fine. Last night, before the storm, we were around here," she said, circling the spot where the dotted line ended. "If everything had gone as planned, we would've gone straight ahead and stopped at this island," she circled a small island somewhat near their position, which had the name 'Island of Rare Animals' written next to it in cursive handwriting. Zoro then began to doubt her navigation skills - he couldn't see how her projected path would've lead them there. It certainly wasn't where he thought they would've ended up.

"But now the storm has probably pushed us in this direction," she said, pointing towards the east. "I can't really tell how far off course we are, but we should be heading in this general direction now. Which means..." she moved her hand to the coast of a larger piece of land, circling part of the coast. "We'll end up somewhere along here, probably. Close to this Syrup Village, hopefully, so we can get supplies."

Zoro just nodded, deciding that it was better to keep his opinions to himself. He still couldn't see how she had come to the conclusions she had, regarding the predicted routes and destinations, but figured it was just some more advanced navigation concept that he had didn't need to know. He had survived thus far on his own navigational ability, although he found he was rather unlucky and always got directions from people who either wanted to trick him or didn't know the way themselves.

Nami placed the pencil down and sat, crossed-legged, on the floor. She glanced up and down Zoro's bare torso, admiring his chiselled body. A mischievous thought entered her mind and she started smirking, saying, "You know, since you stripped me I should get to do the same to you..."

The swordsman looked up at her, his facial expression a mixture of surprise and slight awkwardness, as expected. Nami's smirk turned into a wide grin as she began to laugh. "Ah, that face of yours never fails to crack me up," she teased playfully.

"Annoying woman..." Zoro grumbled, rolling the map up and handing it to Nami. "I bet you really want to do that."

"Oh yes," she said, deliberately using a casual, not overly-sarcastic tone, "You bet I do."

"Alright then, here you go," Zoro said, grabbing either side of his trousers and pretending to move them down. Nami looked away immediately, letting out a soft squeal, and the swordsman burst out laughing. "Ah, the face of yours never fails to crack me up," he said mockingly, walking towards the door. "I'm starting to see why you do this all the time. It's actually pretty fun."

Nami couldn't help but laugh with him. Underneath his gruff exterior and rigid mannerisms, Zoro was actually quite fun to be around. Their conversations the past few days had mainly been quite serious, but there were moments, such as this, that relieved the tension and brought them back to friendlier terms with each other. Her teasing, his retorts... it would be rather boring with their usual banter.

She made her way back to the bed as Zoro left the room. She heard Luffy complaining loudly about food, as usual, and Zoro telling him off and instructing the captain not to enter the room. Taking a mental note to thank him for that later, Nami lay down across her bed, stretching. She had not slept that well the past few nights, and her fatigue had finally caught up with her. The storm sounded less angry now, meaning the ship would probably not drift very much further off course. And after getting washed overboard once, she was not going to go up on deck again so quickly anyway.

Part of her knew she would miss this life if she left it. The generally carefree days, teasing Zoro, Luffy's eccentricity, sorting through Buggy's ship for valuables, even Zoro's scoffs and retorts. But another part of her knew that that didn't matter anymore, that she should leave and she was going to leave. Nami had her priorities sorted right, or at least the way she thought was right; Nojiko needed her help right now. Whether or not Zoro was coming didn't make a difference. Nami was going to go, with or without him.

As she let herself drift slowly into sleep, she thought of Zoro and the answer he was due to give increasingly soon. First, she thought of him rejecting her proposition, citing the usual reasons like 'sticking to his word'. She had to have some respect for him for really wanting to do that and not just using it as an excuse, but at the same time she felt it was a stupid move to make a promise to a pirate.

Then she thought about him saying yes; she imagined him fighting Arlong and his cronies, pictured his wounded body lying almost motionless on a bed while she treated his wounds. She stopped herself from imagining anything further in the future, because she didn't want to get her hopes up. Then, laughing at herself mentally for even starting to think she would miss the annoying swordsman that much, Nami exhaled, wrapped the blankets around her tightly, and went to sleep.

* * *

_Author's Notes:  
A shorter chapter than usual, sorry, and yes, a rather late one as well. Anyway I was originally going to stick to the real storyline - meaning they should meet Gaimon next - but after some reconsideration I thought it would be better to just speed things up and get Usopp into the story. You would've figured that out already if you had paid attention to this chapter ;)_

_Thank you for reading, please review if you like this and offer some advice if you have any! _


	6. Things Unsaid

**Chapter 6: Things Unsaid**

Zoro watched a distant tree grow larger and larger as their ship loomed closer and closer to the shore. Luffy was practically bouncing up and down, excitedly pacing up and down the deck. The only thing that stopped the rubber man from firing himself towards land was his fear of Nami's wrath - ironic, really, given the situation. Nami had taken to steering, and remained silent at the helm.

A man, dressed in brown overalls, appeared from just over the hill, running towards the beach. Luffy stopped pacing and began to watch the man curiously, leaning on the side rail. "Oi!" the captain yelled happily, "Who are you? Where is this place?"

The man, too distant to hear Luffy's shouts (or perhaps he just ignored them), stopped abruptly and look as if he was peering towards their ship. Then, in a sudden movement, he spun around and started sprinting back up the hill, arms flailing wildly in what looked like terror. "PIRATES!" Zoro heard him yell. The man had a shrill voice, and the fear in it was unmistakable.

While he was preparing to anchor the ship, as per Nami's instructions, Zoro realized how tightly he was gripping onto the anchor chains. He was getting more frustrated by the decision he had put off making than he liked, and time was running out, fast. He cast a quick glance at the orange-haired navigator, whose poker face revealed no unease whatsoever. She's made up her mind, he thought to himself. Part of him resented her for being so decisive. How could she just decide to leave like that?

He then looked over to his captain, who was growing increasingly impatient. His eyes were brimming with excitement, and it was as if every inch of his rubber body was aching to set foot on the ground and start a brand new adventure. Ignorance is bliss, they say. Luffy had no idea that his navigator, and possibly his first mate, was going to leave him.

Zoro signalled to Nami that the ship was anchored, and she nodded in acknowledgement. "Alright Luffy, we're set. Let's go," she said coolly. Luffy broke into a huge grin, grabbed onto the side rail, stretched his arms out and fired himself towards the shore with his Gomu Gomu no Bazooka move. Obviously, he expected Nami and Zoro to take the small dinghy to the shore at their own pace.

"Dammit," Zoro burst out angrily the moment Luffy blasted off, unable to contain his distress any longer. "You see? What kind of person Luffy is? How can you just leave him like that? He'll get hopelessly lost and die by himself."

Nami was taken aback at the sudden outburst, but the shock turned into anger a moment later. "Sorry? So what, you're saying I should stay with him and leave my sister to suffer?" she snapped. "If you're so concerned about him then be my guest, stay here."

"I can't just let you leave like that!" Zoro growled. He quickly added, "You'd probably get killed immediately, useless woman."

"What? I've survived thus far by myself, haven't I? What the hell do I need you for? Don't patronize me you idiot."

"Is that so? Then why'd you ask me to come along?"

Nami fell silent, eyebrows furrowed in anger but her lower lip quivering. She bit down on it in an attempt to mask the fact that she was clearly upset. Finally, after a period of tense silence between the two crewmates, she just muttered, in a half-sigh, "Men."

Part of Zoro wanted to press on, but something in his gut told him not to. Instead he just stood there, directly across, as if they were in a staring competition. Their eyes were locked in place, both filled with frustration. This was a battle Zoro knew not how to fight. He didn't know what to do next.

"Let me just ask you one question, Roronoah Zoro," Nami said finally, with a fake calm that Zoro saw through but let slide. "Are you angry that I'm ditching Luffy," she slowed, paused, and took a deep breath. "Or that I'm ditching you?"

Her stare was no longer an angry one, and Zoro could not help but soften his own in response. It was hard to describe the emotion he saw in her eyes now - despair? - but he knew that it was exactly what he too was feeling. An abominable mixture of fear, sadness, fatigue, frustration and anger. But of, due to, and at what? His mind was a mess. He didn't know what to say.

"I don't know," he finally muttered, a sense of defeat – at the hands of his own emotions – overcoming him.

Nami sighed softly and shook her head, as though she had anticipated his reply. But the truth was, she knew what his reply meant, even if he himself didn't. And for her, for right now, that was enough. "Come on now, let's go ashore," she said.

Zoro did as he was told and lowered the boat for her. The short trip to the shore was silent except for the swordsman's rowing. He still hadn't come to a decision.

Once they reached the shore, Nami stepped out of the boat and started walking off without saying a word. Zoro quickly beached the dinghy and said, mildly irritated at her rudeness, "Hey, where do you think you're going?"

"I saw a mansion just now. I'm going to check it out," Nami explained without turning. "And then I'll buy some supplies. See you back here tonight, Zoro."

"Wait, so what am I supposed to do?" Zoro asked without thinking. He regretted it after, though, realizing how dumb it made him sound.

"Decide whether or not you'll be back here tonight," came the reply.

The swordsman watched his crewmate walk slowly, further and further away from him, down the beach. There was a certain sense of assurance in her gait, as though she had nothing to fear - as though she knew he would come back, even though he himself still hadn't decided. Pushing the thought to the back of his mind, Zoro turned and started walking up the hill, after Luffy and the man they had seen earlier. First thing's first, he thought to himself. Make sure Luffy's okay. For now Luffy was still his captain, and as such Zoro felt it was only right to find out what had happened to him.

He saw a small village - Syrup Village, was it? - in the distance once he reached the top of the hill and proceeded in that direction. Chances were that Luffy was after food or the cowardly man, and the village would be anyone's first stop to find them.

"Hold it right there!" a voice commanded, and Zoro obliged, his hand instinctively reaching for his sword hilt. "What business do you have here?" The voice came from one of the trees by the roadside, so Zoro assumed the speaker had climbed up.

"I'm looking for a friend."

"The punishment for lying is DEATH. What are you really here for, pirate?"

"And who's asking?" Zoro asked back, starting to get ticked off.

"I am the great Captain Usopp, and I have declared this village to be under my protection. Oh, and the mansion by the sea too."

It occurred to Zoro that this voice was the same one he heard earlier, belonging to the man dressed in brown overalls. What was with this guy? First he was scared out of his wits and now he was trying to act tough? Zoro considered this Captain Usopp no threat, but kept his blade ready for good measure.

"Heh. So, great Captain Usopp," Zoro started, breaking into a smirk, "are you saying you're a pirate then?" He began to walk towards the tree the voice was coming from, slowly and deliberately.

"I am a great pirate, a brave warrior of the sea! Just ask any of my 8000 followers!" Usopp replied, his voice starting to shake. He wasn't very good at masking his fear with fake confidence.

"Then do you know who I am?" Zoro asked, lowering his voice to a gruff whisper. He was directly below Usopp's tree now. "My name is Roronoah Zoro."

He heard Usopp gulp.

"I am a pirate hunter."

With a yelp, Usopp leapt off the tree. He tried to run off immediately, but landed awkwardly and fell to the ground. As Zoro approached him he screamed, "I'm not really a pirate! Not yet!"

Zoro was puzzled by his second statement. "Not yet?" He extended his hand to help the sniper up, deciding to stop messing around with the poor guy any further.

Usopp hesitated for a moment, but then took Zoro's outstretched hand. "Thanks," he said. "Yes, not yet. I don't have a ship yet."

"Nor a crew, let alone 8000 followers."

"Fine, yes, nor a crew..."

"I'm looking for a man with a straw hat. Full of energy. Seen him around?"

"Oh yes," Usopp said, relieved that the topic had changed, "he ran into town a few minutes ago." He gestured to Syrup Village, behind him. "I tried to stop him but he was too fast. Is he a fellow bounty hunter? Was he on your ship?"

"Wait," Usopp added before Zoro could reply, a serious expression coming upon his face. "The ship you sailed here in - it had the pirate Buggy the Clown's flag. Did you defeat him? Or..." Usopp's expression changed to one of fear again when the thought that Zoro was actually Buggy's subordinate came to mind.

"The man I'm looking for did," Zoro replied quickly. "His name is Monkey D. Luffy."

"Oh, thank goodness..." Usopp said, heaving a sigh of relief. "So he's a pirate hunter like you?"

"No, he's a pirate."

"What?" Usopp asked, confused; but Zoro was already walking away. "What do you mean? Did he escape from you or something? Hey, answer me!" the sniper shouted, chasing after the swordsman.

Zoro made his way to the first restaurant in the village, explaining to Usopp along the way what the situation was. ("Wait, so you're not really a pirate hunter? Do you want to join my crew?") As expected, Luffy was inside stuffing his face. "Zoro!" the rubberman exclaimed when his crewmate entered, "you're finally here! The food here is really good, you should have some!"

"Can you even pay for all this..." Zoro grumbled, sitting down across his captain. Usopp sat down next to him awkwardly.

"Who are you?" Luffy asked bluntly.

Pausing momentarily for dramatic effect, Usopp announced, "I am the great Captain Usopp, protector of this village! Your crewmate has already told me that you mean no harm so I have nothing against you. Instead I will make you a fantastic offer... let me join you, as your captain!"

"No," Luffy replied simply, before gobbling down more food. "I'm going to be Pirate King, so I have to be the captain."

Usopp's jaw dropped. "P-pirate King? So you are after One Piece?"

"Yea! That's my dream! We're on our way to the Grand Line!"

Usopp was speechless, half due to awe and half due to self-reflection. Here was a man who had a dream, just like himself, but dared to pursue it. Zoro observed the sniper's reaction to Luffy's words silently, trying but failing to read his expression.

"Oh, but Zoro," Luffy continued, turning to the swordsman, "I think we need a new ship. I don't want to go around travelling in Buggy's ship anymore. I want my own ship."

"I know where you can find a ship!" Usopp said excitedly. "It's not very big, but it's not very small either."

"Where?" Luffy asked.

"It belongs to the owner of the mansion by the sea," he explained, "But even though she owns a mansion and a ship, the owner is really a sad young woman... She's quite sick, so she never leaves her mansion."

"Luffy, let's not bother her," Zoro advised. The truth, though, was that he wanted to avoid meeting Nami. He needed to clear his mind and make his decision - and there was no way he could do that with both the navigator and his captain around, plus having to deal with this new wannabe-pirate and a sickly rich woman.

"No, let's go!" Luffy insisted. "A real pirate needs his own ship. Usopp, take me to the mansion!"

"Huh? Oh, okay. It's about that time of the day anyway... But you have to do something for me in return!"

"What?"

"You have to play along with what I say later!"

"What are you going to say?"

"You'll see!" Usopp broke into a grin, and Luffy returned it. The two of them, Zoro realized, had clicked immediately and would get along really well, even though they were at opposite ends of the spectrum when it came to bravery.

Part of him felt relieved that they had met this Usopp, because now, Luffy had someone else. His gut told him that the sniper would join their crew; but he had shown little promise in being much of a fighter – or much of an anything for that matter. Could he leave his captain in this guy's hands? A sudden thought crossed his mind, and the swordsman felt a twinge of guilt.

Unaware of his crewmate's internal conflict, Luffy looked over his shoulder as he walked out and called, "Zoro! You're really not coming with us?"

Zoro looked up at his captain's face – that wide grin, that trusting gaze. He gritted his teeth, hands clenched into fists, and said, with a completely serious expression, "No, Luffy. I'm not."

* * *

_Author's Notes:_

_Yes, at long last, I know. Way too long a hiatus. But I am now back, with more time, so things should be a bit better again. Let's get this story going again properly, now, shall we?  
_


	7. Enter Captain Usopp

**Chapter 7: Enter Captain Usopp**

The mansion was devoid of life, save two guards, two butlers, and one bedridden woman. Nami had ascertained this within the first half hour. The guards were hopelessly inept, as was the cheerful butler – she could hear his footsteps from miles away and had no trouble avoiding him. The other one though, the bespectacled one, seemed to almost glide down the halls. Thankfully, he stayed by the sickly woman's side almost constantly. This left her free to roam the rest of the house with relative ease.

Unfortunately, though, the mansion was devoid of valuables. Nami had found the master bedroom, but no jewelry. Yes, there were vases and expensive artwork, but she couldn't pocket that. Most of the rooms were disappointingly empty too; either the family had decided to store their wealth elsewhere, or another thief had struck first.

Finally, Nami located the study, on the ground floor. "Jackpot," she whispered under her breath, as she surveyed the room. The shelves were stocked with books, mainly about medicine. She grinned triumphantly as her eyes fell across an atlas. It would have to be good enough. She was about to step out of the room, she heard a shout from outside the window.

"You're just like your filthy pirate of a father!"

She couldn't resist taking a peek out, but regretted her decision almost immediately. Standing in the lawn was the bespectacled butler, the man in brown overalls they had seen on the shore earlier, and most importantly, Luffy. What was that idiot doing here?

"What did you say?" the long-nosed man growled, his right hand clenched into a fist.

"Like father, like son. I've heard the stories. Your father abandoned you as a child to be a pirate. Now you've grown up to be a hoodlum just like him," said the butler.

"Don't you dare insult my father!"

"You ought to be ashamed! Having a pirate's blood run through your veins. You better stay away from Ms Kaya – I don't know what you've got up your sleeve but I know it can't be good!"

"Kurahadol!" objected the woman, weakly, but the butler continued.

"You're not fooling me!" he said, "You just want her money, don't you? You just want to win her heart, get her gold, then pack up and go. Just like what your father did to your mother!"

The long-nosed man snapped, and punched Kurahadol squarely in the jaw. The butler flew backwards.

"My father is a brave warrior of the sea! I'm proud that he's a pirate!"

"Usopp!" Kaya cried again. "Stop it!"

It wasn't much of a surprise to Nami, but it was at that moment that Luffy decided to speak. "I need a ship! I hear you have one!" he said, his cheerfulness out of place in the tense situation. Nami shook her head, sighing.

At the moment, the door to the study swung open and the other butler stepped in. He and Nami gasped simultaneously. "Thief!" he exclaimed. Swearing under her breath, Nami leapt out into the lawn instinctively. Two more gasps – from Usopp and Kaya – and a laugh from her captain. Kurahadol sat up. "GUARDS!" he yelled angrily. Nami took this as her cue to exit, and grabbed the Luffy's hand. Usopp had already taken off in another direction. "I'm going after him!" Luffy said to Nami, breaking free of her grip and chasing after the sniper. "Wait till he hears what I just realized!"

Nami climbed over the estate wall and ran into the forest. Once she had determined it was safe, she stopped to catch her breath and sat down to examine her new steal, but couldn't focus. The words of the long-nosed man – Usopp, was it? – echoed in her head. "_My father is a brave warrior of the sea!_ _I'm proud that he's a pirate!"_ he had said. What the hell did he find so inspiring about it?

The pirates she knew had come to know were despicable. They preyed on the poor, capitalized on corruption, and starved her village slowly as they grew richer and richer. She couldn't deny their capacity for fighting, but they were far from brave warriors. Most people she knew shared her sentiments; pirates were scum. But here was a man who felt the complete opposite, despite his own father abandoning him for the seas. Something about his conviction made her feel like she had been too quick to judge her captain.

She stopped herself from dwelling on it any further, and set out towards Syrup Village to buy supplies like she said she would. Overthinking, she had long realized, lead to inaction, and that was something she couldn't afford right now. She needed to focus on getting back to her sister, not on what being a pirate meant. She couldn't help but smirk when that thought crossed her mind. It sounded like something Zoro would say.

Almost on cue, the swordsman walked out of one of the restaurants, his trademark katanas by his side, yawning lazily. He noticed her a moment later, and stopped short in his tracks. He looked troubled, but met her gaze firmly. "Hey," he grunted.

"Hey," Nami replied. She didn't anticipate meeting him so soon, and judging from the awkward silence that followed their greetings, neither did he. "Okay, I've got to buy supplies before the guards – um, before the sun sets, so I'll talk to you later."

She started walking towards the grocery store, where three little boys sat at the entrance talking animatedly to each other. The storekeeper, seemingly one of their parents, poked his head out and told them to get in and tidy up the mess they created, and they let out a collective groan but did as they were told.

"Guards?" Zoro asked.

"Before the sun sets, Zoro." She saw the swordsman's eyebrow cock ever so slightly out of curiosity, before his stoic expression returned.

"You need help?"

"What?" Nami asked in genuine surprise. Did he just offer to help?

Zoro smirked knowingly. "I don't think you'll be able to outrun the setting sun with bags of food, if it catches up with you later."

"Ass." He started laughing, and Nami couldn't help but smile slightly. She suspected he did so unwittingly, but Zoro had relieved the tension, and she was thankful for that. "You coming or what? Don't lag behind," she called over her shoulder as she walked off.

"Oi, don't think you can boss me around now just because I offered to help you."

Her back was turned to him, so he didn't catch her slight smile growing into a full wide one at his comment. That's more like it.

* * *

_Author's Notes: I'm alive :) Please review if you are, too!_


	8. Crossing the Line

**Chapter 8: Crossing the Line**

"Welcome to the Syrup Village Grocer's," the man at the register said cheerfully as Zoro and Nami walked into the store. "You two from out of town? What do you need?"

"Just here to pick up some food before we set sail again," Nami replied.

"Oh? What do you do?"

"We're researchers," Nami said with a smile. Zoro noted how comfortable she was telling a blatant lie like that. He had never been one to hide his intentions, but Nami had made a living out of it. Here she was showing her acting prowess. He chose to keep silent.

"Ooh, what are you researching on!" one of the three boys asked excitedly. The three of them had been arranging boxes of cereal at the end of the aisle, which Zoro assumed they had knocked over earlier.

"Have you ever heard of Little Garden?" Her reply was smooth and instant, as though she had prepared it beforehand. Regardless of whether it was good preparation or quick thinking, Zoro was impressed. She passed him a few cans of tinned sardines.

"Boys, don't bother the young lady," said the grocer.

"Oh no, don't worry about it," Nami chuckled. "What's your name, little boy?" It was strange to see her in this light. She was acting all innocent and sweet, which was a side he had never seen before. Nami had always been either playful and coy or serious around him. Something about the way she spoke to the children told him that it wasn't entirely an act – she was actually, genuinely, enjoying the interaction. It was the gentleness of her voice, the way her smile curled, that gave her away.

The three boys introduced themselves as Ninjin, Tamanegi and Piiman and continued pestering Nami with questions, to which the navigator answered with ease. She had an entire backstory to tell them, right down to Zoro's role as her assistant cum guard. He resisted the urge to balk at that label. The children followed the pair outside the shop even after they made their purchase, with more and more things to ask. They only stopped when a shrill cry of terror rang through the town.

"Pirates are coming!"

Zoro recognized the voice as Usopp's and sighed immediately. He realized that Nami had the same reaction, and vice versa, and the two of them looked at each other with confused expression. Before either could speak though, Tamanegi shouted out to the long-nosed sniper excitedly and called him over. The grocer poked his head out the store door.

"The three of you," Usopp said, panting, "I need you to get everyone out of the village immediately. You know that nasty butler Kurahadol? He's a pirate! They're invading the village tomorrow morning!"

"That's enough, Usopp!" the grocer shouted angrily as he stepped out. "You think we're going to believe you this time? I think you're going a bit too far, making up stories about Kurahadol now!" Other villagers had come out of their stores and houses, and started grumbling as well.

Usopp's eyes showed a mixture of fear, desperation and guilt. It was as though his past mistakes were coming back to haunt him at the worst possible time. ""This time it's true! Believe me!" He turned to Zoro and Nami and said, "You two! Your friend, Luffy!" His body started to shake as he began to break down. "I'm so sorry, it's all my fault…"

"What happened?" Zoro asked urgently. Something was amiss.

"He's dead! He fell from the cliff!" Usopp bawled. "The other pirates killed him!" Nami let out a soft gasp while Zoro's expression changed to one of utter seriousness.

"You've really crossed the line now, making up such terrible stories like that!" the grocer said. "It's time you learnt your lesson!" The other villagers echoed this and started advancing as the grocer grabbed Usopp's arm. The sniper broke free and ran back down the street, chased by the angry villagers.

"You three," Zoro said suddenly to the three boys, "Where's the cliff?"

"It's near the coast," Ninjin said slowly, still stunned by the entire exchange.

"Take us there. Now." He knew there was no chance Luffy would be dead. His captain had taken Buggy the Clown down, for goodness sake. He wouldn't go down so easily.

Nami was at a loss for words. She too knew Luffy wasn't dead, but the news had shocked her initially. What had happened after she let Luffy run off by himself? What had that idiot gone off to do? It was times like this, she realized, that Zoro's character truly shone. It was true that he could be lazy and chauvinistic but when it came down to the wire, he knew what to do and how to take charge. She observed the grim expression on his face as they made their way to the coast – focused, determined.

It contrasted greatly with the expression on Luffy's face, which was one of confusion and drowsiness. When they found him lying face down in the sand, Nami pushed him over and started slapping his face. "Wake up, you idiot!" she scolded. He mumbled something unintelligible and the three boys gasped in surprise at his 'resurrection'. Luffy grinned goofily and stretched, as though his nap was intentional.

Suddenly his expression changed to one of concern, and he sprang up to his feet, asking about the whereabouts of Usopp, Kurahadol and some hypnotist. He explained what happened to Zoro and Nami, and the three boys began to excitedly chirp about how Usopp had been telling the truth after all.

"We've got to stand guard here! This is where Usopp said they'll be coming from!" Luffy commanded excitedly. The three boys started cheering and the four of them – Luffy was such a kid himself, Zoro mused as he nodded dutifully at his captain's orders – started making schemes on how to ambush the pirates.

Nami had groaned softly when Luffy said that, so Zoro shot her a questioning look. She looked him in the eye, eyebrows furrowed, shook her head and silently mouthed "Let's go." Luffy's obliviousness was convenient in times like this when the two of them needed to communicate more privately. Zoro took pulled the navigator aside.

"Go? You're kidding right?" he whispered, trying to suppress his annoyance.

"I told you. I need to leave tonight."

He could tell that she was annoyed as well, but there was something more in her tone of voice. Desperation? Guilt? Zoro hated dealing with emotions and their complexities. He was a simple man – he made choices based on his beliefs and stuck to them, without letting the alternatives eat his conscience. Since they reached the island, Nami had dragged him down into this pit of indecision with her, but now it was time to stop and climb out. He gritted his teeth and told himself mentally that no, he would not regret this. He would not.

Nami sensed his frustration and probed further. Part of her didn't want to hear his answer but the time had come; prematurely perhaps, but it would not come again. "You're staying, aren't you?" she said quietly. She turned away towards the sea so he wouldn't be able to see her face.

After a long silence, Zoro finally said, firmly, "Captain's orders."

"Fine," Nami spat angrily. She pushed him squarely in the chest weakly and stormed off. She watched the group she was leaving from the corner of her eye to see their reaction.

Luffy had noticed her leaving and got up from drawing in the sand to call her back, but Zoro raised his hand and shook his head, asking him not to – a request that his captain obliged, thankfully. The rubberman's usual grin morphed into a grim frown that she had never seen before. Zoro showed no indication of following her, and stood resolutely in the same spot. She scoffed, albeit to no one but herself, and turned away entirely. That idiot. She would not look back again.

* * *

_Author's Notes:_

_Hello everyone! Very encouraging to know that there are people out there still reading this after such a long hiatus. Thank you so much. Hint about the next chapter – try and recall what happened in the original storyline itself (which I try to stick to actually) and it's quite easy to figure out how things will play out._


	9. Never Let Go

**Chapter 9: Never Let Go**

The warm glow of the rising sun coupled with the lazy sloshing of waves on the shoreline created an idyllic atmosphere on the coast. It was a quiet morning, routine for the inhabitants of Syrup Village, but to Nami it was a rare occurrence to be enjoyed; on any other day, she would have taken the time to do so, but today she was too busy cursing Zoro's stubbornness. She tossed the supplies she had bought onto the deck of Buggy's ship and and as she began to sort them out into groups for better storage, the image of Zoro's face as he told her he was staying, eyebrows furrowed and lips pressed together firmly, kept popping up in her head.

Nami caught herself mid-thought. Why was she so upset that he wouldn't come? She shouldn't be. She had given him a proposition, and he had turned it down. It was just business. She had just lost her best option for help to rescue Nojiko. That was it. Business.

Her train of thought was interrupted by the sound of a ship reaching shore, and the rowdy roar of men. She looked up from her pile of supplies and realized that because she had been so caught up in her thoughts, she had failed to notice a ship approach the shore stealthily and stop next to her own. The men were leaping off their own ship and assembling at the beach, all raring to go.

Kurahadol's crew had arrived.

"That idiot!" Nami spat quietly but angrily, but this time she was referring to Usopp and not Zoro. He had anticipated their approach wrongly. Zoro and Luffy were waiting at the wrong beach. Who would stop them now? There wasn't time to go all the way back to get them. But she couldn't take all the pirates on by herself - hell, she wasn't sure if she could take even one of them down by herself.

"Captain Jango, there's someone there!" one of the pirates called, and a thin man with sunglasses looked over to her. Nami froze. She reached for her staff on the ground.

"Ignore her," Jango said, barely glancing at her. His voice cackled with urgency. "Don't get distracted! We need to stick to the plan and get to the village on time! Otherwise Captain Kuro will have our heads. You know how he hates it when his plans don't pan out. Now go!"

The pirates let out another roar and charged up the slope towards the village. Nami got up unsteadily, caught between her desire to stop them and her desire to just run away, gulped hard and was about to shout when the first few pirates charging up the slope suddenly flew backwards into their crewmates. Her eyes darted to the top of the hill, where a silhouette of a sole man stood triumphantly with his back to the sun, a slingshot in hand. For a moment Nami was impressed with Usopp - he really put himself on the line by attacking them, by himself.

"I'm warning you! If you don't want to die, retreat at once!" Usopp threatened weakly. His voice trembled with fear, betraying the courage he had shown just moments before. "I have eight thousand followers!" He fired a few more shots. Nami realized that his choice of ammunition was basically non-lethal - eggs, rocks, marbles. His marksmanship was superb and every shot he fired brought a pirate down, but they kept getting back up. There was no way he could hold the front.

Almost on cue, one of the pirates swung at Usopp with a large hammer, hitting him squarely in the back of the head. The sniper crumpled to the ground immediately, letting out a scream of pain. But just as the pirate walked by, Usopp's hand shot out and grabbed his ankle, gripping it tightly. The pirate turned around and kicked him in the stomach, commanding him to let go, but Usopp clung on manically.

"I... WILL... NEVER LET GO!" he cried through gritted teeth, "I will not let you reach the village. They must never know you even came here! They will keep thinking I'm a liar... but at least the village will stay peaceful as always! I will not let you take that away!" He began to get up, struggling to even push himself off the ground. A few more pirates took their turn at hitting him back down.

Nami had seen enough. She knew what it was like to have your village overtaken by pirates. She had seen the horrors firsthand. All the frustration and internal debate she had gone through the past few hours had reached boiling point. She desperately wanted to go attend to her sister, but at the same time she knew she needed to be here. Grabbing her staff, she leapt off the ship, sprinted towards the group and swung hard. Her staff caught one of them in the face and he flew backwards. She had put all her pent-up frustration and anger - at Zoro's choice, at Usopp's mistake, at Kuro's treachery and ultimately at her own incapability to leave all of that behind - into that one swing, and the man didn't get up.

"Dammit Usopp," she muttered angrily under her breath, "You really know how to tug at my heartstrings." The sniper could barely breathe, let alone reply. Nami blocked an attack, and then another, but the third one was too quick for her and she was knocked to the side, hitting the cliff wall. Pain shot through her back and she slumped to the ground. Usopp had gotten up and was swinging punch after punch, but the blows he received in return were too strong and too numerous, and his shouts for them to leave the village alone soon became groans of pain.

"You idiots! Leave those two alone!" a voice yelled. Nami's flicker of hope died almost as soon as it started as she realized that the command came from Jango. "Get to the village! Captain Kuro is waiting! Do you all want to be killed?!" The pirates all turned immediately to charge back up the hill, but suddenly a flurry of punches flew at them like a gatling gun and they all flew back again, even further than when Usopp had first arrived.

She looked up to the top of the slope again, and breathed a sigh of relief. Two silhouettes this time, standing not triumphantly but menacingly, awaited the oncoming enemies. Luffy's arms returned to their regular length from his outstretched punches. She knew what the look on his face meant - eyes narrowed and focused, jaw clenched. Zoro's bandana was tied around his head, casting his eyes in shadow. He hadn't drawn his swords yet, but his hand clutched the hilt of one tightly, ready to draw the blade at any moment. She saw his eyes dart to where she lay beat-up on the ground, and the fury that filled them subsequently.

"Nami," he barked. "Grab Usopp and get out of here." He then turned his attention to the pirates wholly, seemingly consumed by anger. She did as she was told, hauling the sniper off the ground and making her way to the side, behind her two crewmates.

"Hey Zoro," Luffy growled, his voice low and intimidating. It was only then that Nami realized that he too was consumed with anger. It dawned upon her that this was what Zoro had kept telling her: Luffy was different. She realized that just like how he was helping Usopp, Luffy would help her; and a small part of her began to realize that even though he was a pirate, that help was worth accepting, perhaps. The swordsman unsheathed his katanas as their captain cracked his knuckles and issued a simple but strong order. Nami began to feel sorry for Kuro's crew.

"Let's kick their asses."

* * *

_Author's Notes:_

_Sorry everyone! It takes me quite a while to get each chapter out because I try to stick to the real storyline as much as possible, and that often requires me to read the old chapters (I mean all that happened so incredibly long ago). I also try to make sure there's not too much action (fighting sequences and whatnot), but at the same time not too little, and when it gets to the fight scenes like this one that becomes even harder._

_Please review! I'd like to hear from all my readers, please feel free to share what you think should happen/shouldn't happen. Points to improve on are also very welcome :)_


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